HOME advantage for the first time in five games couldn't help Aston Ingham CC on Sunday, as fellow Gloucestershire outfit Dumbleton ended their National Village Cup dream by 106 runs at the quarter-final stage.

What started as a day filled with hope, with the prospect of a Lord's date for the two finalists, ended in dismay after a fantastic run to make the last eight.

Watched by a sizeable home crowd willing them on, it proved a step too far as the lower order were unable to mount a fightback from 81-4, and Aston were dismissed with three overs left well short of the target.

Dumbleton, cup winners in 2022, showed plenty of fire power after winning the toss and electing to bat, recovering from 4-1 to reach an imposing 255-6 off their 40 overs.

Aston made a great start, Oliver Henson taking a catch off the bowling of Alexander Gooding to dismiss opener Lewis Rollison for a duck in the second over.

But skipper opener Ross Martin with 45 and third man Charlie Garratt added 71 for the second wicket before Gooding held a catch off the bowling of Angus Bartlett to dismiss the former (75-2).

Dumbleton fourth man Aaron Tomson picked up the baton though, scoring a quickfire 40 to help add 62 before holing out to Aston skipper James Wagstaff off an Anthony James ball (137-3).

And there was no let up in the momentum as Garratt reached 81 in a 74-run fourth-wicket partnership, when Gus Carini-Roberts created a second catch for Wagstaff (211-4).

Tom Green then carried his bat with 46 despite a third catch for Wagstaff off the bowling of James (225-5) and a third wicket for the latter through the safe hands of Josh Loade (236-6).

Set 256 to win, Henson holed out for a duck in reply in the first over (5-1), soon followed by Gooding lbw for five (16-2) as opening bowler Martin struck for the second time.

Carini-Roberts and James added 48 to provide hope before the former was bowled for 15 (64-3), but the loss of fourth man Bartlett for a quick-fire 12 (81-4) made the mountain that much steeper.

And the lower order then fell away, with the loss of James for 48 (107-7) effectively spelling the end.

Tenth man Wagstaff with 13 not out tried to keep the fire burning, but the target and a dream day at Lord's were out of sight by then, before they were dismissed with three overs left for 149.

They are still going strong in the league, with every hope of promotion though, and the skipper said: “I just want to say thank you to the players... it’s been a privilege to lead you on this VKO run, but also the supporters and members of this wonderful, family, community club. “